The more close to nature a product is, the less burdening on the
body it will be, and thus will create beneficial results for our skin.
Conventional beauty products contain a lot of harmful chemicals. Besides
causing problems on your skin such as redness, irritations and acne, those
chemicals can also transfer to your bloodstream and have long term negative
effects. Natural products are safer and healthier, and give better results
in the long term, especially when they are made with all natural and organic
ingredients and chosen to fit your skin type.

Go one by one

If you are concerned with budgeting, start small. Don’t toss all
of your cosmetics at once. When you finish a product buy a new, natural one.

Be patient

Switching your skin care routine can cause problems at the beginning.
Your skin will need some time to adjust, so be patient. Our skin cells take
around 3-4 weeks to regenerate, so that is when you should expect to see the
true results.

Learn the basics of natural cosmetics

A natural product is described as one that contains mostly or
completely naturally derived ingredients. It also indicates that the product is
free from, or contains minute amounts of artificial chemical additives.

Don’t always look for the certificates

You must be wondering if a product can be natural and organic even
if it doesn’t have one of the popular certificates. The good news is it can!
Those certificates can be very expensive, and a number of smaller brands can’t
afford them. When you find a small brand you can trust, don’t hesitate to ask
all the questions about the production process that you have.

Consider the packaging

Conventional products contain a lot of preservatives. That is the
reason why they can be packed in plastic tubes and stay on the shelf so long. Plastic
packaging can also contain different toxins that can leak into the product. All-natural
beauty care products are free of harsh chemicals and the best packaging for
them is glass. Glass does not leak any toxins; it is recyclable and
environmental friendly. Safer versions of plastics can also be used.

Read the labels!

Reading the back label & ingredient content is the most
important step to clean beauty. You should know what’s in your products. Look
for wholesome ingredients and follow the same rules as for a healthy diet. Go
for unrefined & unprocessed ingredients and stay away from artificial ones.

For us to go through the full list of toxic ingredients used in
beauty care products would require pages and pages, but the following are the
most common ones. The list of toxins that you should always avoid include:
parabens, phthalates, sulfates, formaldehydes & synthetic fragrances.

Parabens are
chemicals used as preservatives in personal care products. The purpose of
having a preservative in a product is to help prevent bacteria & mold
growth, thus extending the shelf life longer and protecting the consumer as
well. According to Environmental Working Group (EWG) Skin Deep Database, parabens
mimic estrogen and can act as potential hormone (endocrine) system disruptors.
Some common names of paraben derived ingredient are “methylparaben,
propylparaben, butylparaben, isopropylparaben, potassium paraben, and ethylparaben”.

Phthalates are
“chemical plasticizers” and have been used in plastic to make them soft and
bendable. They are found in personal care products including lotions to aid in
softening the skin and fragrances to help the scent last longer. To avoid
phthalates, look for the suffix phthalate in the list of ingredients or
fragrance. Unless a fragrance is listed as all natural/ organic which means
it’s derived from botanical sources then it is most likely a phthalate.

Sodium
lauryl sulfate (SLS) / Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), found in
personal care products and used as a cleansing, emulsifying & foaming
agent. They can be found in shampoos, body wash, soaps & cleansers. According
to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Skin Deep Database, Sodium Lauryl
Sulfate can cause irritations of skin, eyes and lungs. In the long term it can
also be toxic for organ systems.

Formaldehydes are
carcinogenic impurities released by a number of cosmetic preservatives,
including diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, quaternium-15,
2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, and sodium hydroxylmethylglycinate.

Fragrances are used
to make the product smell nice. They are on a top 5 list of allergens and irritants.
The biggest problem with fragrances is that brands can hide a bunch of different
harmful ingredients in them, because there is a non-disclosure policy used to
protect other brands from stealing the signature scent. They can be especially
dangerous for pregnant and nursing women and kids.

For more info on harmful ingredients found in personal care
products, visit the EWG website (https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/) Keep
following us on social media if you want to learn more about skin care and natural
products. More content is coming soon!